The Best Manga Series to Start in 2025 If You've Never Read Manga
2024-09-11 · 5 min read
Manga intimidates newcomers for understandable reasons. Reading right to left, hundreds of chapters, complex genre classifications. But the barrier to entry is lower than ever thanks to the Shonen Jump app giving you access to thousands of chapters for $2.99 a month and physical volumes stacked at every Barnes & Noble.
Start with Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto if you want something that feels genuinely unhinged. The premise involves a teenager who merges with a chainsaw devil, but the real draw is Fujimoto's willingness to break every shonen convention. Characters die without warning. Tone shifts from slapstick comedy to existential horror between panels.
One Punch Man is the perfect entry for anyone skeptical about manga's tendency toward power escalation. The premise is a superhero so strong he defeats everything in one punch and is bored by it. Yusuke Murata's artwork is jaw-dropping, with action sequences that make Hollywood blockbusters look static by comparison.
For something more grounded, Blue Period follows a directionless high schooler who discovers a passion for oil painting and pursues Tokyo University of the Arts. It's a genuine exploration of artistic ambition, self-doubt, and the sacrifices creative pursuit demands. The art education details are fascinating even if you've never held a brush.
Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo is the crowd-pleaser. A spy must assemble a fake family for a mission, unknowingly adopting a telepath and marrying an assassin. It's heartwarming, funny, and accessible to literally anyone. The anime adaptation on Crunchyroll is excellent, but the manga's comedic timing is even sharper on the page.
Dandadan combines alien conspiracies, ghost hunting, and high school romance into something that shouldn't work but absolutely does. The artwork by Yukinobu Tatsu is some of the best in current serialization, with dynamic panel layouts that push the medium forward. It's weird, energetic, and completely addictive.
